Sanford pleaded guilty in September to a single count of first-degree larceny. A second larceny charge, involving the theft of funds from an elderly New York City woman whose Redding home Sanford had been hired to maintain, was nolled.

Authorities said Sanford embezzled thousands of dollars of town highway department money between August 2007 and June 2011 for repairs and parts for his antique 1977 Mack truck and a lawn mower. He sold two of the town's aging street sweepers and a dump truck and pocketed the proceeds, court records indicate.